Let me start this off by saying that I am well aware there are much bigger problems in the world right now than my inability to season a carbon steel pan. That being said, for the sake of my sanity, and the sake of my marriage (if my wife has to hear the word seasoning one more time I fear she may actually throw the pan at my beautiful face), I need to resolve this! Needless to say tempers in my household are frayed, and as a result, I find this seemingly trivial matter rising rapidly to the top of my marital problems list (just below my wife's snoring, and my apparent need to correct grammar).

So….to the crux of my problem…Despite having scoured in the internet, watching every Youtube clip, and following instructions to the letter, I have been trying in vain now to season a carbon steel frying pan (skillet) for almost 2 weeks! It got so bad that I convinced myself that I had just bought a crap pan, so I went out and purchased a lovely new De Buyer, some good quality Flaxseed Oil, and even a damn outdoor gas burner (I have an induction hob in the house)…But, alas, it has been to no ovail.

So, I will not bore you with the details of my 2 weeks of effort using different oils, gas burner, hob, potato peels and salt and all sorts of other wonderful attempts, and instead I will tell you about my latest attempt, and perhaps someone with more sense than me can tell me what I am doing wrong…because, honestly, if I fail at this one more time I think I might just call it quits and go back to using (I can hardly bring myself to say it) TEFLON (throws up in mouth a little)!

So, to get to the point:

I am using a De Buyer 24cm (9 1/2") ACIER Carbone Steel pan.

My Seasoning Process is as follows:
1) Heat pan in the oven at 100 (celcius) to get it to a warm enough temp fo accept the seasoning
2) Remove pan and apply a light coating of Flaxseed oil all over front and back
3) Wipe off the excess oil with a clean paper towel so you can't even see it
4) Put back in the oven and crank it up to 250 celcius (approx 480 F)
5) Leave for 2 hours
6) Then switch off oven (keeping door closed) and let it cool down to room temperature gradually.

According to the experts I have listened to, this will allow the pan to develop a strongly bonded seasoning in a nice even coating, and having cooled down gradually it will be extra seasony full of lots of seasoned goodness...as opposed to doing it all quickly and giving a flaky seasoning that could come off easily.

So, having gone through this laborious process, after 1 round I was DELIGHTED to see that the pan had gone from shiny silver to a nice brown tint, and it was immediately starting to look like it does on all those Youtube clips I had watched! GREAT! But, rather than getting carried away with my wonderful job, I decided that I would do several more rounds just to make ultra sure. So, all in all I actually gave it 10 ROUNDS of seasoning - going through the whole process, and each time watching as the pan took on a darker and darker tint but still staying lovely and smooth - needless to say I was almost overcome with joy!...After a few days I was eventually happy with the look of it, and couldn't wait any longer to try out my new pan!!!

So, I heat up a little bit of oil, crack a fried egg in there…and….WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That egg stuck to that pan as though it loved it more than life itself and never wanted to leave!!!! I nearly fainted at the horrors in front of me and could barely believe my eyes! When I eventually got over the shock, I said, ok you probably just did something wrong (clinging to any hope). So, I took it to the sink to wash it out. And, using a normal dish washing bruch (standard soft bristles) I start to wash the pan under hot water. And to my dismay not only did the remnants of the egg come off, but so did most of the seasoning! It was literally as though this 10 LAYERS of seasoning was just a bit of mild grease that I could just wipe off! I just don't understand! I thought I had been laying down minascule layers of chemically bonded oil each time, the purpose of which is to be so hard and so non-stick that you could use metal utensils etc and it would withstand the rigors of daily use! But, what I am left with is a pan that is now part-brown prt silver!

I am genuinely at a losss now. I like to think I am a reasonably intelligent man - certianly capable of following simple instructions. As far as I know I am using the same high quality pans as the pros, and following the same process, but for some reason I just do not seem capable of doing this one thing!

Can anyone even tell me why 10 layers of seasoning would just wipe off like that? After reading my "method" can you think of any reason it wouldn't work?

If you help me out, you will not only save a marriage, but most likely gain a friend for life.

I have the same question as Andy. I use carbon steel pans myself. When new, they are coated with a clear lacquer finish, which basically prevents them from rusting prior to purchase. I've found you need to thoroughly remove it using a combination of hot water, a good scouring pad, and a LOT of elbow grease.

If you don't get all that lacquer off first, you will never get a good seasoning on the pan.

As for frying eggs, I use mine all the time for omelets, but you have to sort of ease your way into it. I don't season the pan and then throw eggs into it right away. You're just asking for trouble. Usually, I'll spend the first week cooking other things, just to allow the seasoning to cure and build up even more.

When cleaning after use, you shouldn't have to use any sort of abrasives. All I normally do is heat it on the stove for a few minutes and pour in some water. Anything that is stuck should immediately release. I can clean up even the worst looking burnt on messes with just a paper towel.

Thanks for the quick replies. So I did give the pans a wash beforehand, however I can't say for certain that i removed every last bit of protective coating...But, let's say for argument's sake that I didn't remove it all and that's my problem. What I have now done is stripped the pan back to it's bare metal again. This has removed the dodgy seasoning, and most certainly any protective coating.

So, starting from scratch, I will attempt to season again!...I will report back with my results!

I don't really know what to expect. I guess I just watched these pro's on Youtube who apparently seasoned it once and et voila they have fried eggs gliding around the pan! Is that realistic???

I think I seasoned my first pan with four or five coats. The last one I only applied two very light coats of oil. My impression is that the seasoning has less tendency to peel if you don't apply too thick of a coating. The lighter the coat of oil, the better it bonds to the pan. I've never experienced any big advantage in applying many coats, regardless of whether you're using carbon steel, cast iron, or similar pans. They will all eventually build up a residue that resists sticking.

Some of these people on the internet are definitely overthinking the process, that's for sure. If you look for videos where Asian chefs are seasoning their carbon steel woks, they seem to put less effort into it than others and get the best results.

Like I said, I use mine for eggs all the time. So I know it's realistic.

No, not for a carbon steel pan anyway. I have two DeBuyers that were in the $60-70 range.

The most expensive skillet I own is stainless steel and cost something like $160, even after a discount. I have paid over $400 for cookware, but that was for a nice dutch oven.

Mark bought me a set of Martha Stewart enameled cast iron for Xmas 6 years ago. I think he spent near $500. I haven’t decided to whom I will leave the set, but I do love it dearly. Almost as much as I dislike Martha Stewart!